Pat Gallivan has been a resident of Whitney Pier all his life except for his years with the Merchant Marine. While he was at sea he developed a love for the ever changing oceans and all of the beauty that surrounds them. Later he worked for the City of Sydney as a carpenter until he retired. Being precise with his craft was a necessity at work and helped him later as a painter. At the age of seventy-one he began to paint with watercolours and gained confidence taking classes from Iris Currie. The joy he gets from painting comes across in the subject matter and also the composition.